Molding press



Oct. 4, 1966 H. G. CHERRINGTON 3,276,077

MOLDING PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1964' Oc t. 4, 1966 "H. G. CHERRVINGTON MOLDING PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1964 1966 H. G. CHERRINGTON 3,275,077

MOLDING PRESS Filed Feb. 26, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Zan ZNJENTOR q;

I Z 5 ATTORNEYS Oqt. 4, 1966 H. a. CHEYRRINGTON MOLDING PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 26, 1964 NOR Y v I TORNEYS 5 H. e. CHERRINGTON 3,276,077

MOLDiNG PRESS Filed Feb. 26', 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent Ofi Fice 3,276,il77 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 3,276,077 MOLDING PRESS Howard G. Cherrington, Troy, Ohio, assignor to The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, Piqua, Ohio Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,405 11 Claims. (Cl. 1816) This invention relates to molding presses of the type in which the press plates are movable out of the press for ready inspection and access.

Heretofore presses of this kind have been provided with two press plates or hot plates between which the material is molded. However, it is an object of this invention to provide a press of this type in which press plates are provided which make possible the use of two sets of molds and thereby increase the capacity of the press.

Another object is to provide a press of this type in which three press plates are provided and arranged so that between them two sets of molds may be arranged and in which the press plates are movable out of the press into positions in which they are readily accessible.

A further object is to provide a press of this type in which two of the press plates are first separated from each other for ready access and in which a press plate is then moved into another position to provide access between another pair of press plates.

A further object is to provide a press of this type of simple and improved construction which requires the minimum of additional equipment for the operation of the press.

It is a further object of this invention to provide in the press a middle press plate or hot plate which supports half molds on both its upper and lower faces and with which the half molds on the two other plates cooperate.

It is also an object of this invention to provide press plates which are so arranged that the spaces between the plates are successively made accessible to remove molded articles and any flash that may be on the molds.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a press embodying this invention, showing the various parts in closed position in which the molding of the material takes place.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the press with parts shown in the same positions which they occupy in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is .a side elevation thereof showing the press in partly open position.

FIG. 4 is another side elevation thereof showing the press in open position with two of the press plates separated for access to the parts of a mold applied thereto.

FIG. 5 is a view thereof similar to FIG. 4, but showing the press in open position and with the other two press plates separated for convenient access to the parts of another mold.

In the particular embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, 7 represents the base of the press having incorporated therein a large hydraulic ram cylinder 8 in which a ram or piston 9 is mounted to reciprocate. Heavy metal plates 10 are secured to the opposite sides of the base 7 and extend upwardly in parallel relation and are connected at their upper ends by a cross member or head 11 so that the cross member 11, side plates 10 and the base 7 together form a basic frame for the press. The side plates may be secured to the base in any suitable manner such, for example, as screw fasteners 12, and the cross member or head 11 is secured to the upper ends of the side plates 10 by tie rods 14.

-A platen 15 is mounted on the ram or piston 9 and is disposed between the side plates Ill and guided thereby in its vertical movement.

In this press I have provided three press plates or hot plates 17, 18 and 19 which are arranged so that the halves of one mold may be secured to the lower face of the upper press plate 1 7 and to the upper face of the intermediate press plate 18. Another mold has its halves secured to the lower face of the intermediate press plate 18 and to the upper face of the lower press plate 19. The molds are not shown and may be secured to the press plates in any suitable or usual manner. These press plates may be heated in any usual manner and are movable out of the press to facilitate the removal of the molded material and possibly flash from the mold and then to supply to the mold material to be molded.

The upper and lower press plates may be moved into and out of the press by mechanism similar to that shown in the Tribbett application for patent, No. 209,432, filed July 12, 1962, now Patent No. 3,142,093. As disclosed in said application for patent, the upper press plate 17 is supported on the press by means of rollers 20 arranged at opposite sides of the press and on which the front of the press plate rests when the press is closed. The rear end of this press plate is supported by an arm 22 which is movable, as will be hereinafter explained, to push the press plate 17 along the rollers 20 from its position within the press, as shown in FIGS 1-3 to an outer, in clined position, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The rollers 20 are rotatably mounted on brackets 24 secured on the side plates 10 of the press.

The intermediate press plate 18 when the ram is lowered, is supported by upright legs 25 and 26 which rest on supporting pins or stops 27 and 28 and the lower press plate 19 continues to move down after the intermediate press plate 18 has come to rest, as shown in FIG. 3. Consequently the halves of the mold 0n the press plates 18 and 19 become separated.

When the press is in the position in which the ram approaches the lowest part of its travel, the press plates 18 and 19 are moved out of the front of the press, while still separated by the legs 25 and 26. During this movement these legs move from their stops or supports 27 and 28 to the lower press plate 19 and move outwardly with the same on a front support 30, the rear end of the lower press plate being supported by the platen or ram cap 3 1.

The movement of the lower press plate 19 into and out of the press is effected by the movement of the platen and ram. In the particular construction shown for this purpose, I provide rack bars 35 secured to opposite sides of the press plate 19, which mesh with gears 36 rotatable about the axis of pins 37 supported on the platen 15. Pinions 38 are rigidly secured on or connected with the gears 36 and these pini'ons mesh with gear segments 40 formed on levers 41 which are pivoted intermediate of their ends at 42 on the ram of the press. Consequently by swinging the levers 41 about their pivots 42, the gears 36 will be rotated to move the lower press plate 19 into and out of the press.

The supplying of intermittent movement in opposite directions to the gears 36 is eifected by actuating the levers 41 carrying the gear segments 40, and this is done by means of pins 45 on each gear segment lever 41 which are guided for vertical movement by a guideway 46 including a plate 47 secured to a stationary part of the press such, for example, as a side plate 10. The guideways 46 extend mainly upwardly, but have at their lower ends horizontally extending grooves 4 9 shaped to receive the pins 45.

Since the gear segment levers 41 are connected by their pivots 42 to a vertically movable part of the press, such for example as the ram, the up and down movement of the gear segments 40, while the pins or extensions 45 are in the vertical positions of the guideways 46, will cause these pins to move up and down with-out turning the gear segments or levers 41 on their pivots. When the ram, during downward movement causes the pins 45 to move to the lower end of the upright part of the guideway, they will pass into the lower, horizontal position 49 of the guideway into the positions .shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This causes the levers 41 to swing about their pivots 47, and through the gear segments 40 and pinions 39, will turn the gears 36 and move the racks 35 with which they mesh, and the lower press plate to move outwardly into the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Upon reverse movement of the ram, each lever 41 having the gear segment 40 thereon, will moe upwardly, and since the pin 45 is temporarily held against upward movement by the horizontal portion 49 of the slot, the gear segment on the lever 41 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 4 and 5, to cause the press plate 19 to be moved into the press through the medium of the pinion 38, gear 36 and rack 35. After this lower press plate has been moved into the press during the initial, upward movement of the ram, the pin 45 will enter the vertical part of the guideway '32 so that no further movement of this press plate will result.

The upper press plate 17 will also move out through the front of the press when the same is open, and for this purpose the mechanism shown in the drawings may be employed. The extension 22 which supports its inner end of the press plate 417 may be in the form of two parallel links spaced apart slightly. This two-piece extension is secured at its rear end to a pivoted arm 50 pivoted at 51 to an outwardly extending bracket or part 52 secured to the base of the press. The extension 22 of the pivoted arm 50 also has pivotally connected there-t a link 54 by means of a pivot '55. This link has pivotally secured to its lower ends a pair of rollers 57. The link 54 is held in the desired position relatively to the arm 50 by means of a stop member 58 on the arm 50 against which the arm 54 rests when the press is in closed position.

The lower press plate 19 has recesses 59 and as this press plate moves into its lowest position, these recesses receive the pivot pins of the rollers 57, as shown in FIG. 3. Consequently as the lowest press plate I19 is moved to the left in FIGS. 25, the pins of the rollers are confined in the recesses 59 and the rollers vroll along the platen of the press into the positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This movement of the arm 54 imparts movement to the pivoted arm 50 and through the extension 22 thereof to the upper press plate 17, resulting in rolling this press plate on the rollers 20, thus positioning the press plate in an upwardly inclined position at the front of the press, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

During the initial part of the downward movement of the ram to open the press, pushback cylinders 60 and cylinders 61 separate the halves of the mold between the press plates 17 and 18 but keep together the halves of the mold between the press plates 18 and 19. It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the piston rods 62 of the cylinders 60 engage the press plate 18 to move it and the press plate downward without moving the upper press plate, which of course rests on the roller and on the extension '22. The piston rod 63 of the cylinder 60 moves down farther than the rods 62 and ensures the return of the ram to its lowest position.

By means of the operation of the mechanism thus far described, the press plates '17 and 18 will be in the positions shown in FIG. 4, in which the lower face of any half mold mounted on the lower face of its press plate 17 and also the upper face of the half mold mounted on the intermediate press plate 18 will be readily accessible, so that the molded work together with any flash may be removed.

It now remains to place the intermediate press plate into a position as shown in FIG. 5, so that the two halves of a mold secured to the intermediate and lower press plates will be accessible. In the construction shown for this purpose, I provide lifting and tilting mechanism including by way of example, an auxiliary cylinder 67, the piston of which is connected with a yoke 68 having arms which extend to opposite sides of the press, and at their ends support lifting columns 69 guided for vertical movement and having hook-shaped brackets 70 pivoted at 71 on the upper ends thereof and arranged at opposite sides of the press plates 18 and 19. These brackets have forwardly extending arms 72 which have recesses formed to receive ears 73 extending outwardly from the sides of the intermediate press plate 18. As the pivoted brackets move upwardly, they move the intermediate press plate 13 upwardly and lift it up from the supporting legs '25 and 26. This upward movement lifts the intermediate press plate 18 from the legs 25 and 26 in a straight, upward motion to clear the dowels of the mold. Upon further upward movement of the yoke, inwardly extending arms 75 secured on or formed integral with the brackets 70 engage fixed stops in the form of rollers 76 which cause the brackets and the intermediate press plate to swing into inclined positions, as shown in FIG. 5. The lower face of the press plate 18 and a half mold mounted thereon, as well as the lower half mold mounted on the lower press plate are then readily accessible to permit removal of the molded parts from the molds. The operator then loads the lower mold for another molding operation. After this has been done, the operator actuates the cylinder 67 to lower the yoke and again position the intermediate press plate into the position shown in 'FIG. 4. When in this position the lower half mold on the intermediate press plate 18 is then supplied with material to be molded, after which actuating fluid is admitted to the cylinder 8 to move the ram upwardly, whereupon the three press plates are moved into the press and pressure is applied to the molds for the molding operation.

It may be desirable to ensure accuracy of operation of the press to provide means for producing equal, vertical movements of the two arms of the yoke. For this purpose I have provided on each arm of the yoke 68 a gear 80, the gears being rigidly secured on a shaft 81 extending crosswise of the press. I have also provided on each side of the press stationarily mounted racks 82 with which the gears mesh so that the rotation of the two gears will be the same, thus ensuring correct, upward movement of the arms of the yoke 68.

The press described has the advantage that it is capable of producing twice the amount of product at one actuation of the press, thus effecting a material saving in labor and in the time required to produce a desired number of molded articles. This increase in capacity by providing space for simultaneously cutting two molds requires comparatively little addition to the mechanism having a single mold.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a molding press of the type having a ram movable toward and from a press head and a frame having spaced side members and supporting said press head,

that improvement which includes upper, lower and intermediate mold-supporting press plates in said frame between said ram and said press head and movable by said ram toward said press head into molding position,

means supporting said lower press plates on said ram for movement horizontally into and out of said press,

said intermediate press plate resting on said lower press plate and movable into and out of said press with said lower press plate,

mechanism for moving said upper press plate out of said press into an upwardly inclined position,

gearing mounted on said press and actuated by said ram for moving the lower press plate with the intermediate press plate mounted thereon and said upper press plate into and out of said press, and

lifting means operable when said lower and intermediate press plates are out of said press for moving said intermediate press plate from said lower press plate into an upwardly inclined position.

2. In a molding press of the type having a ram movable toward and from a press head and a frame having spaced side members and supporting said press head,

that improvement which includes upper, lower and intermediate mold-supporting press plates in said frame between said ram and said press (head and movable by said ram toward said press head into molding position,

means actuated by said ram for moving said plates into and out of said press,

guide means for tilting said upper plate during movement out of said press into an upwardly inclined position to provide access to the lower face of said upper plate and the upper face of said intermediate plate,

power-actuated means operable when said plates are out of said press which tilts said intermediate plate to an upwardly inclined position to provide access to the lower face of said intermediate plate and to the upper face of said lower plate.

3. In a molding press of the type having a ram movable toward and from a press head and having upper and lower mold-supporting press plates movable into the press between said ram and said press head for molding the material positioned in the press when said ram is raised and movable out of the press into positions to render the press plates accessible,

that improvement which includes an intermediate press plate arranged between said upper and lower press plates and movable into and out of said press with said upper and lower press plates,

and mechanism engageable with said intermediate press plate while out of said press and moving the same into a position spaced from said lower press plate and inclined upwardly to render the lower face of said intermediate press plate accessible.

4. A press according to claim 3 and including legs on said intermediate press plate,

stops arranged in position to engage said legs during downward movement of the intermediate and lower press plates in the press,

and stops engaged by said legs for separating said intermediate press plate and said lower press plate while in said press.

5. A molding press according to claim 4 and including means for supporting said intermediate press plate on said lower press plate for simultaneously moving said lower and intermediate press plates out of said press while spaced apart by said legs.

6. A molding press according to claim 5 and including lifting mechanism having a part movable into engagement with said intermediate press plate to move the same upwardly above the lower press plate and into an upwardly inclined position.

7. A molding press according to claim 6 in which said lit-ting mechanism includes a pair of upwardly movable columns guided for vertical movement on said press,

brackets pivotally connected with said columns and extending into positions when moved upwardly to engage parts of said intermediate press plate,

and a pivotal connection between said upright columns and said brackets for swinging said brackets into an upwardly inclined position.

8. A molding press according to claim 7 and including stationary stop members mounted on said press,

and parts on said brackets which engage said stop members after initial upward movement to cause said brackets to swing about said pivots into upwardly inclined position.

9. In a molding press of the type having a ram movable toward and from a press head and having upper and lower mold-supporting press plates movable into the press between said ram and press head for molding the material positioned in the press when said ram is raised, and movable out of the press into position-s to render the press plates accessible,

that improvement which includes an intermediate press plate arranged between said upper and lower press plates and movable into and out of said press with said upper and lower press plates,

means positioned in the path of movement of said intermediate press plate when moving away from said press head to separate said intermediate and lower press plates,

mechanism actuated by downward movement of said ram to move said press plates out of said press, and lifiting mechanism movable into engagement with said intermediate press plate 'when out of the press to raise the same into an upwardly inclined position.

10. A molding press according to claim 9 and including a lifting mechanism comprising vertically movable columns,

brackets supported by said columns,

cooperating parts on said brackets and said intermediate press plate which cause said brackets to move said intermediate press plate upwardly from said lower press plate,

and parts engaging said brackets after initial upward movement of the same to swing said brackets into upwardly inclined positions.

11. A molding press according to claim 10 in which said bnackets are pivoted on said columns,

means for holding said brackets in horizontal position for engagement with said intermediate press plate and during initial upward movement of said intermediate press plate,

stationary stop members,

said brackets having extensions which move into engagement with said stop members during upward movement of said brackets for swinging said brackets on their pivotal connections With said columns to move said intermediate press plate into an upwardly inclined position during the latter part of the movement of said brackets.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,692,407 10/ 1954 Stacy l8l6 2,972,776 2/1961 Siegrist l8l6 XR 2,983,953 5/1961 Borah l8l6 3,142,093 7/1964 Tribbett 1816 3,204,292 9/1965 Schon l8l6 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

J. HOWARD FLINT, Examiner. 

3. IN A MOLDING PRESS OF THE TYPE HAVING A RAM MOVABLE TOWARD AND FROM A PRESS HEAD AND HAVING UPPER AND LOWER MOLD-SUPPORTING PRESS PLATES MOVABLE INTO THE OPRESS BETWEEN SAID RAM AND SAID PRESS HEAD FOR MOLDING THE MATERIAL POSITIONED IN THE PRESS WHEN SAID RAM IS RAISED AND MOVABLE OUT OF THE PRESS INTO SAID POSITIONS TO RENDER THE PRESS PLATES, ACCESSIBLE, THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH INCLUDES AN INTERMEDIATE PRESS PLATE ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER PRESS PLATES AND MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF SAID PRESS WITH SAID UPPER AND LOWER PRESS PLATES, AND MECHANISM ENGAGEBLE WITH SAID INTERMEDIATE PRESS PLATE WHILE OUT OF SAID PRESS AND MOVING THE SAME INTO A POSITION SPACED FROM SAID LOWER PRESS PLATE AND INCLINED UPWARDLY TO RENDER THE LOWER FACE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PRESS PLATE ACCESSIBLE. 